Mattison (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} agnosticoracle) wrote,@ 2008-09-01 22:40:00 |
|
Fundamentalist Failure Thy Name is Palin
75% of Americans believe that "John McCain chose Sarah Palin because he thought having a woman on the ticket would help him get elected." But behind the scene her selection had as much or more to do with winning the support of the fundamentalist base. Her earliest and strongest support came from Focus on the Family and other culture conservatives. Their support tells the story of a major defeat for fundamentalism.
The modern conservative movement began as Republicans tried to attracted segregationists and racists that were no longer feeling at home in a Democratic Party that supported civil rights in America. As the movement grew and open support of segregation became embarrassing, it became closely linked to Christian Fundamentalism, "traditional family values" became its catch phrase.
Early leaders like Jerry Falwell would bemoan how "Many women have never accepted their God-given roles, they live in disobedience to God's laws." You can still find a few fundamentalist who will openly argue that "every time the Scripture speaks to the subject of the necessary qualifications for those who will bear rule in the civil sphere, it always speaks in terms of men and never in terms of women."
Palin is a mother of five, four of which are under 18. Traditional family values would say she should be at home taking care of her children. Traditional family values would blame her 17 year old daughter's unwed pregnancy on the mother's commitment to career over family. But instead the social conservatives have not only looked the other way they have embraced this women's career aspirations.
We aren't just talking about a woman taking a job to help support the family. No, Palin's career is one of power and authority. This is a rejection of the fundamentalist chain of command (God-Man-Woman). The fundamentalist now find themselves accepting the feminist ideal that a woman (even a woman with young children) can have a career and a family.
I neither wish nor expect McCain/Palin to win the election. But I do think we should take a moment to recognize that the fundamentalist embrace of her candidacy is a major victory for enlightenment values. It may seem like just a cynical ploy by conservatives to try and win an election (and it is also that), but it is a ploy that cuts the heart out of conservative values. No matter who wins the elections, this candidacy marks another failure of the conservatives in the culture war and another victory for human rights.
75% of Americans believe that "John McCain chose Sarah Palin because he thought having a woman on the ticket would help him get elected." But behind the scene her selection had as much or more to do with winning the support of the fundamentalist base. Her earliest and strongest support came from Focus on the Family and other culture conservatives. Their support tells the story of a major defeat for fundamentalism.
The modern conservative movement began as Republicans tried to attracted segregationists and racists that were no longer feeling at home in a Democratic Party that supported civil rights in America. As the movement grew and open support of segregation became embarrassing, it became closely linked to Christian Fundamentalism, "traditional family values" became its catch phrase.
Early leaders like Jerry Falwell would bemoan how "Many women have never accepted their God-given roles, they live in disobedience to God's laws." You can still find a few fundamentalist who will openly argue that "every time the Scripture speaks to the subject of the necessary qualifications for those who will bear rule in the civil sphere, it always speaks in terms of men and never in terms of women."
Palin is a mother of five, four of which are under 18. Traditional family values would say she should be at home taking care of her children. Traditional family values would blame her 17 year old daughter's unwed pregnancy on the mother's commitment to career over family. But instead the social conservatives have not only looked the other way they have embraced this women's career aspirations.
We aren't just talking about a woman taking a job to help support the family. No, Palin's career is one of power and authority. This is a rejection of the fundamentalist chain of command (God-Man-Woman). The fundamentalist now find themselves accepting the feminist ideal that a woman (even a woman with young children) can have a career and a family.
I neither wish nor expect McCain/Palin to win the election. But I do think we should take a moment to recognize that the fundamentalist embrace of her candidacy is a major victory for enlightenment values. It may seem like just a cynical ploy by conservatives to try and win an election (and it is also that), but it is a ploy that cuts the heart out of conservative values. No matter who wins the elections, this candidacy marks another failure of the conservatives in the culture war and another victory for human rights.
